Authorities found 246 bags of cocaine inside the stomach and the intestine of a Japanese man who died on a flight from Mexico City on May 24.
Udo died due to a cerebral edema caused by a drug overdose. The plastic bags found inside his body were between 2.5 centimeters to 1 centimeter (1 inch and 0.4 inches), according to a statement by Sonora’s attorney general on Twitter.
Jailed Mentally Ill Woman Forced to Give Birth in Isolation Cell
A mentally ill woman in a Florida prison on cocaine possession charges was forced to give birth in an isolation cell In April as her cries for help were allegedly ignored.“She was forced to deliver her baby alone,” Finkelstein wrote in the letter, requesting that medical and isolation practices at all Broward County detention facilities be reviewed.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) told the Herald that it learned about the birth after two days had passed.
“A Well Path medical team, including a physician and two nurses, attended to the mother and child. Child Protective Investigations Section was notified, and the baby was placed with an appropriate caregiver,” BSO spokesperson Gina Carter wrote in an email to the Miami Herald.
Jackson, 34, was arrested and booked on cocaine possession charges on March 27 and was released but was arrested again after she failed to appear for pretrial services. Charges against her included trespassing, sleeping on a public street, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Finkelstein alleged that since the day of her arrest, the BSO knew about Jackson’s pregnancy and in order for her medical condition to be monitored, she was placed in an infirmary.
Two weeks after her arrest she started feeling contractions and sought help. According to Finkelstein, instead of helping her and carrying her to a hospital, the jail staff tried to reach an on-call physician.
“Not only was Ms. Jackson’s health callously ignored, the life of her child was also put at grave risk,” he wrote.
Chief Assistant Public Defender Gordon Weekes told Miami Herald that the mother is still in custody but is recovering in a hospital.
“Just imagine going through the trauma of delivering a baby, screaming for help, people are within earshot, and no one comes to your aid from 4 a.m., when the contractions start, until 10 a.m.,” said Weekes. “All the while knowing people are in earshot.”
Weekes didn’t provide any information about Jackson’s mental illness but said that it is “significant.”
“It is unconscionable that any woman, particularly a mentally ill woman, would be abandoned in her cell to deliver her own baby,” Weekes wrote. “Your staff did not protect either Ms. Jackson or her child. Despite their neglect and callous indifference, both Ms. Jackson and her child survived. It remains to be seen how this gross negligence will affect Ms. Jackson’s already fragile mental health.”